The Box
by Ron3
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione find a mysterious box. When they see who it used to belong to, they are in for another adventure... Chapter 7 is now up and running! - Last Chapter!
1. Finding The Box

A/N: Please read and review so I know if you like the story. I will probably keep adding to it anyway, but I'd like to know what you think. Good reviews, bad ones, I don't care, I just want to know. Thx.  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
  
It was the summer between Harry Potter's 4th and 5th years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were all at Hermione's house for the summer.  
  
"Aren't you guys excited?" Hermione asked. "Next week is the first week back to Hogwarts!" She didn't wait for them to answer. "And my parents are bringing us to Diagon Alley tomorrow so make sure you're ready. They're getting us rooms at The Leaky Cauldron for the rest of the week and picking us up the last day to bring us to King's Cross Station."  
  
"I need some new robes," Harry said. My old ones are a couple inches too short." He was getting tall, almost as tall as Ron.  
  
"Well, we should get some rest," Hermione said.  
  
***  
  
The next day, they were at Diagon Alley. They bought robes, books, potion ingredients, and they were just about to go back to their rooms, when Harry said "Hey, look there!"  
  
Hermione and Ron looked to where Harry was pointing.  
  
"It's a new shop!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"Rare and Magical Items," Hermione said, reading the sign. It was a small shop, between two large ones.  
  
"Let's go in," Harry said.  
  
***  
  
They went in to look around. The shop was filled with things that they had never seen before. There were some expensive potion ingredients such as wing of Fire Fairies and dragon scales. Large items included The Amazing Magical Orb of Mystic Dreams- the last one in existence, and sunglasses that protected you from weak dark magic. The three found themselves in the back of the shop.  
  
"Wow, look at this," Ron said pulling a box off of a top shelf. He blew the dust off of it. "This must have been here for ages! Whoa…" He dropped the box.  
  
"What's wrong?" Harry and Hermione asked in unison.  
  
"Read what it says," Ron said nervously.  
  
Harry picked it up and read it. "The property of…oh my gosh…this can't be happening…"  
  
"What does it say?" Hermione asked.  
  
"The property of…Tom Marvolo Riddle" He said slowly.  
  
  
  
A/N: Hope you like it so far! Please read and review. I'll be posting some more maybe tomorrow, thx guys (and girls). 


	2. To Hogwarts!

A/N: Thx to Lavendar Brown, MacGyverMagic, and Harry Potter-Dreamer for reviewing! Okay here it is!  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
  
"What?!?" Hermione yelled. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Ron said. "The guy that runs this place will come out here if you don't shut your mouth, Hermione!" And, Ron was right.  
  
"Hello, children, where you in need of some assistance?" the man asked. "Oh, I see you've found something. He adjusted his glasses and looked at the box. "Take it. When I bought this building, it was in a storage closet, so I put it out to sell. But it won't I'm sure."  
  
"Uh, thanks, mister," Hermione said. She grabbed the box from Harry and they ran out and didn't stop until they got to The Leaky Cauldron. They went in to Harry's room.  
  
"This is freaky…" Harry said. The three just stared at the box, lying on Harry's bed. "Should…should we open it?" he asked.  
  
"I say we should" Ron said, while at the same time, Hermione said, "I don't know Harry, this could be dangerous. I think we should wait 'til we get to Hogwarts. I mean, Dumbledore would know what we should do with it."  
  
"Aw, come on Hermione, I mean this could be really important," Ron said.  
  
"Well, I'm sure that it can wait until we get to Hogwarts" she replied gruffly.  
  
"I'm going to go to bed now guys, I'm really tired," said Harry. So Ron and Hermione left, to go their own rooms, arguing all the way.  
  
***  
  
Soon the week was over and Mr. and Mrs. Granger came to pick up Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and bring them to Kings Cross Station. They loaded their things and were soon on their way to Hogwarts. They had a fun time on the train, with Ginny Weasley along in their compartment. Surprisingly, Draco Malfoy, Harry's arch rival, didn't come and pester them.  
  
***  
  
They were soon in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore stood up to say some words, and then the sorting began. The sorting hat sang a wonderful song, better than all the songs it had ever sung.   
  
Alanson, Rimsy was a Slytherin, Arin, Meeka was a Hufflepuff, Bell, Beckson was a Gryffindor, Bock, Martin was a Ravenclaw, Candid, Michella was a Gryffindor, Danton, Lisa was a Hufflepuff, Erill, Banita, was a Ravenclaw, Gollton, Jaley, was a Hufflepuff, Grackson, Hans was a Slytherin, King, Markas was a Hufflepuff, Lanrick, Carla was a Gryffindor, Martins, Rachelle was a Hufflepuff, McEddels, Gale was a Ravenclaw, Meese, Eddie was a Slytherin, Michaels, Ranna, was a Ravenclaw, Morton, Billy was a Slytherin, Nanell, Cantos was a Hufflepuff, Nemo, Larry was a Ravenclaw, Nordlan, Elly was a Gryffindor, Oberon, Pia was a Slytherin, Powers, Amelia was a Ravenclaw, Pulley, Vic was a Slytherin, Richardson, Nanette was a Hufflepuff, Rollins, Clay was a Gryffindor, Sampson, Alexia was a Slytherin, Trotts, Richie was a Hufflepuff, and Umbriell, Karl was a Gryffindor.   
  
Everyone cheered and the feast began. After a few hours of fun, everyone went to their common rooms. Harry and Hermione, who had both gotten their letters over the summer, were both made prefects. They told the people that the password was 'Cherry Tomato'. After a while, everyone was in bed except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They decided it was time for Dumbledore to be told about the box.  
  
  
A/N: Do you like it so far? Oh, yeah, I'm going to tell what is in the box in Chapter 4, and if anyone can guess what in the world is in the box, I will dedicate Chapter 4 to that person (or those, if anyone else gets it before I write Chapter 4). Please r/r. Thx guys.  



	3. Ransacked Room

A/N: Well, nobody is correctly guessing what is in the box, but I'll give a clue: It is a type of jewelry… Also, I'd like to thank clara2000 for an inspiring idea to add to my 4th Chapter. Thx to all of the reviewers, and here is Chapter 3.   
  
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just about to leave through the portrait hole when they heard muffled noises from Harry and Ron's dorm. They told Hermione to wait and they'd be right back. So Harry and Ron went up to the room. Ron opened the door.  
  
"Holy…" Ron didn't finish his sentence. Seamus, Dean, and Neville were all tied up in the corner. Harry's trunk was upturned and all of it's contents were spewed across the floor.  
  
"I'll see if any of my stuff is missing. You go untie them," Harry said to Ron. Ron nodded in reply and went to untie the three boys. Harry looked but didn't notice anything missing.   
  
In the meantime, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville were joining Harry. "Be...before you guys got here," Neville stuttered, "a guy in a black cloak and hood came in and went through Harry's trunk, after he tied us up."  
  
"Did he take anything?" Ron asked.  
  
"He took a box or something out of there, but I didn't see what it was," Dean said. "I hope it wasn't very important."  
  
***  
  
Harry and Ron went back down and told Hermione what happened. Her reply was "Oh, my." So they left, courtesy of the fat lady, in search for Dumbledore. Before long, they heard a voice behind them.  
  
"My, my, out causing trouble again I see. I'll just have to report you to Professor Dumbledore, now won't I?" the voice said. (A/N: I'll give you one guess who it is.) They whirled around to see Professor Severus Snape, the Potions teacher. "Wandering around in the middle of the night, are we? Follow me. Now."  
  
"But…but Professor, you see we were just going-" Hermione started.   
  
"I didn't ask for an explanation, Miss Granger. I don't need one. It's obvious that you were going to cause trouble somewhere or another."  
  
They knew not to push it too far, so they followed Snape quietly. He led them to Dumbledore's office. He said the password (Acid Pop), and they went in. "Professor Dumbledore, I have found these children wandering the corridors," Snape said. He looked very smug.  
  
"Leave them here Severus, I will deal with them," the headmaster replied, and Snape (who didn't look very smug anymore), left the office. "Now, being as it is you three, I'm sure there is a reasonable answer for this. Please tell me what you were doing," he said.   
  
They all started at once, but finally got it through, telling him about the box, how it said Tom Marvolo Riddle on it, Seamus, Dean, and Neville being tied up, and the mess the room was in.  
  
"Well," Dumbledore said, "I will be on the lookout for anything suspicious, so you are now excused." They left the office and headed back to the Gryffindor tower. They were all so tired that they didn't even talk to each other; they just got in bed and fell asleep.  
  
  
A/N: Well, another short chapter, but… Anyway, please review, and send some more guesses about what's in the box. Remember, I'll dedicate the chapter to you! ^_^  
The next chapter, (4), should be up and running tomorrow. Thx!  
  
  



	4. The Pink Teddy Bear

A/N: Well, nobody guessed what was in the box, so you'll just have to find out… I am using an idea though, that I got from clara2000. So, without further ado, here's Ch. 4!   
  
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
  
When they woke up in the morning, Harry, Ron, and Hermione found that everyone else had already gone to the Great Hall for breakfast. They all got dressed and went down to eat. When they got there, though, not a soul was there. They were in awe. It wasn't that late, it was breakfast time, and there wasn't anybody in the hallways. They went outside, looked in classrooms, the dungeons, the towers, the owlery, but still, they couldn't find anyone.   
  
Then Hermione said, "Maybe Dumbledore's in his office." So they went to look. Remembering what Snape said yesterday, Hermione said "Acid Pop." They went in. Dumbledore wasn't there.  
  
"Do you think that this has anything to do with that box?" Ron muttered.  
  
"I'll bet it does," Harry replied. "Maybe whatever was in it did this."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, running off, without a doubt, to the library. Harry and Ron chased after her. When they got there, she was in the Restricted Section.  
  
"Hermione!" Ron practically yelled. "You went in there for once without having us nagging at you about it. I'm impressed."  
  
"Oh, hush up for a minute, I'm looking for something," she hissed.  
  
"Ooh, breaking rules and getting angry. It's an all new Hermione!" Ron said. He laughed.  
  
Hermione, ignoring Ron, said, "I found it! Here it is!"  
  
"What is it?" Harry said. Harry and Ron gathered around behind her. On the page she was looking at was a golden medallion with an emerald embedded into the precious metal.   
  
She started to read it. "This medallion, called the Ecnaraep Pasid Pendant, recently owned by He-who-must-not-be-named, (Harry and Ron gasped), but now the loction of it is unknown, makes any person who wears it able to make people disappear. All they have to do is say a spell and whoever is in the same room will disappear into Oblivion. However, they are able to return, if the wearer of the medallion says the spell 'Returnus Oblivius' and all of the people will return. Also, there is allegedly a pink teddy bear (A/N: Idea: courtesy clara2000) along with the medallion that will supposedly make five people return if they recite the above spell."   
  
"We won't be able to find the medallion if the guy still has it," Ron said.  
  
"Maybe not, but we might be able to find the teddy bear. And if it brings back five people, maybe Dumbledore will be one of them," she said.  
  
"You're right. Hey…how'd you know it was a medallion and to look in this book?" Harry asked, suspiciously.  
  
"Well," Hermione began, "When we were leaving last night, I heard Professor Dumbledore mutter something like 'medallion' and 'Ecnaraep Pasid' and since we knew the box was from you-know-who, I looked in this book, Dark Magic: Mysterious Items, and I figured if anything had to do with dark magic, it would be in the Restricted Section." She said this all as one sentence, and when she finished she was almost panting.  
  
"So if everyone was in the Great Hall…" Harry started.  
  
"And if that's where they all disappeared…" Ron said.  
  
"Then most likely, if the bear is here, it'll be in there," Hermione finished. So they raced into the Great Hall, and began to look.   
  
After about two minutes, Harry yelled, "Over here!" Hermione and Ron came rushing over. Indeed, there was a box with a pink teddy bear inside.  
  
***  
  
They were now in the Gryffindor common room, with the pink bear. Hermione had written down the spell, so she held the teddy bear and read the spell. "Returnus Oblivius." With a wind-like noise, five people stood before them, the five that the bear had brought back: Parvati Patil, Colin Creevy, Gale McEddels (a Ravenclaw first year), Madam Pomfrey, and (you guessed it), Draco Malfoy.  
  
  
A/N: Yes, the last part might have been sort of predictable, but I thought it would add to the story. Please review, and thx.  



	5. Tests in Oblivion

A/N: Well, I had to get [Draco] Malfoy in the story somehow. In this chapter, we'll sort of find out who stole the box from Harry. We'll also start to see how everyone that came back, yes, even Malfoy, helps our 'trio' in solving the mystery.  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
  
"We're back!" shrieked Parvati, right in Malfoy's ear.  
  
"Are all Gryffindors this annoying?" Malfoy asked, rubbing his ear.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy!" huffed Madame Pomfrey. "Gryffindors, along with Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, are your schoolmates, and you shouldn't treat them this way. Especially since these three," She waved a hand in Harry, Hermione, and Ron's direction, "just helped bring you back from that dreadful place!"  
  
"Ooh, ooh, Harry, you brought us back! Can I take a picture of you? I want to remember how you looked right after you saved us," Colin squeaked.  
  
"Not now, Colin," Harry said. Malfoy obviously wasn't paying attention, or he'd say something about a Harry Potter Fan Club.  
  
***  
  
The students, along with Madame Pomfrey, were now in the library. Now that Madame Pomfrey was there, they couldn't just casually waltz into the Restricted Section.  
  
"With your permission, we'd like to look through some books in the Restricted Section to see if we can find anything to help us," Hermione said to the school nurse.  
  
"Well, in a case as serious as this one, I'm sure Dumbledore would agree to it, so go right ahead," she replied.  
  
So Harry, Ron, Hermione, Parvati, Colin, and Gale started to look through books. "Mister Malfoy!" Madame Pomfrey said. "Help them look!" Groaning, Malfoy got up to help.   
  
Again, Hermione was looking through Dark Magic: Mysterious Items. When she got to the page with the medallion on it, she saw something. She motioned for the students to come and see it. "Guys, come here. I found something. It says that if you stand in the place where the person who made everyone disappear stood, and say 'Disapp Oblivius, you will be transported to Oblivion to where everyone is, and if this is true, them the attacker should still be there." So they headed down to the Great Hall and they pointed out to Harry, Ron, and Hermione where the cloaked man stood.  
  
Madame Pomfrey ran to her office to get some medical supplies, just in case. When she got back, they were ready to go. They all held hands. ("Ugh," said Parvati and Hermione at the same time: they got stuck holding Malfoy's hands.) They let the nurse say the spell, since she was more advanced with spells. "Disapp Oblivius," she said, and they were all transported to a strange place.  
  
It was Oblivion.  
  
***  
  
They were in a white room. Everything was white; the walls, ceiling, floor, and door. They all slowly made their way towards the door. Ron slowly opened the door. It was a large room full of Hogwarts students and staff! They were all tied up and gagged. A dark figure was in front of them. "Oh, I see we have company…" he said, but the voice was muffled. This was the attacker. They were just about to say something to him, when he continued. "I feel quite hearty today. I will give you a chance to defeat me and save your friends. I will lock you in a room, with-" He counted them. "There are eight of you, so there will be five tests awaiting. One person will try to pass the first test. If they fail, a red light will glow and they will be transported to me. If they pass, a green light will glow, and they will also be transported to me. If you fail, another person can try, but remember, there are five tests and eight people- that only gives you three extra people. Pass all five tests, I will let you go, and save your friends. If you fail, then you will be under my power."  
  
FLASH! They were now in a large room with a single table. On it laid a piece of paper. It said 'Heal this person-no magic- within twenty minutes to pass the first test.'  
  
All of a sudden, Professor Dumbledore was lying on the table with a cut in his stomach. "I can do this," Madame Pomfrey said. She muttered "No magic…hmm…" Out of her bag, she pulled out a sterilized needle and think thread. She started sewing up his stomach. She was done in fifteen minutes flat.  
  
A green light on the wall flashed. Madame Pomfrey was gone, along with her bag. A door opened, admitting them to the next room. This huge room was full of grass, and had a high ceiling. There was a paper posted on the wall. It said 'Quiddich- Against Giants. The remaining people will play. If less than seven remain, you shall lose that many positions. The Seeker will be the one to be transported to me.'  
  
Well, Ron was okay ay Quiddich, Hermione had never played, neither had Parvati, Colin, or Gale. But Harry and Malfoy were both excellent players, and both Seekers. They were going to flip for the position. Harry pulled a bronze Knut out of his pocket. "Call it," he said to Malfoy. Malfoy gave Harry a puzzled expression. "Just say heads or tails." He explained.  
  
"Tails," Malfoy said, confused. Harry flipped the coin. It was tails.  
  
***  
  
They found brooms leaned against the wall. Malfoy was Seeker, Ron and Harry were Beaters, Hermione, Parvati, and Gale were Chasers, and Colin was the Keeper. "ARE YOU READY?" a deep voice boomed. The seven "Quiddich players" turned around. There were seven giants, ready to play Quiddich.  
  
  
A/N: This has turned out to be my longest chapter yet, and the one with the most action. Please review and tell me what you think. Thx.   



	6. More Tests

A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys. Well this is already Chapter 6 of this story and the gang is still in Oblivion. One test down, one underway, and three more to come for our heroes. Will they save the Hogwarts staff and students? Or will they fail their tasks and perish to the mystery man? Read to find out!  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
  
"How in the heck are we gonna be able to beat those monsters?" Malfoy asked.  
  
"What'd you call us?" the biggest and ugliest of the giants said. This giant, who was obviously the leader, was scary, he had only one eye, and his knuckles were each about the size of Malfoy's head. Malfoy, being the big 'strong guy' he claimed he was, backed up a little. "That's what I thought," the giant said.  
  
He continued to speak, but this time to the other giants. "Oog, Lumpy, you'll be the Beaters. Ug, you're Keeper, and Grunt, Lusk, and Egral can be the Chasers." His eyes lit up. "And Rage can be the Seeker." (He was talking about himself, in the third person.)  
  
The giants mounted their brooms (very large ones) and got in their positions. The Hogwarts students followed suite. Rage snapped his fingers, and a scoreboard appeared, saying Giants on one side and Twerps on the other. He said, "Let's begin." He snapped his fingers again and the Bludgers and Quaffle started to fly around the room. Ten minutes into the game, the Giants had 80 points and, amazingly, Parvati had managed to get the Quaffle past Ug, and had gained the 'Twerps' 10 points. Ron was guarding the three girls and Harry was guarding Malfoy. A couple of times, he had the urge to "miss" a Bludger and let it hit Malfoy in the head. But this was a game of life and death. Colin was not a good Keeper; the Giants had just scored again.  
  
Then Harry saw the Golden Snitch, just below Egral's left foot. He nudged Malfoy and nodded towards the Snitch. If they got it, they would beat the Giants by 70 points. Make that 60, they had just scored again. Malfoy dove full speed at the Snitch, but Rage saw him. Rage was fast, but he was on the other side of the field/room. Malfoy only go there a split second before Rage, grabbing the Snitch. Final Score: Giants: 100, Twerps: 160.  
  
"Ugh, Bloody Mary, you've won," Rage said, breaking his broom on his knee. Malfoy disappeared, and the door to the next room opened. The students, their number down to six, dropped their brooms on the floor and headed to the next room.  
  
"This is like the tasks for the Sorcerer's Stone all over again," Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione. They nodded in reply. They all reached the doors and went in.  
  
The doors shut, and they read the note posted on the wall. It said 'I guess I lied, this time, two people need to participate, and if they win, or lose, they will both be transported to me, so play wisely. This time, the two people will play in a battle of brains. There will be two separate tests, one for each of them. There are ten questions on each, and the two participants must have a combined score of 16. Only four questions can be missed all together. No cheating can be done, the other people will have a gag spell put on them so they can't speak. When the two are seated at the desks, the tests will appear.'  
  
Hermione had the best grades out of all of them, so of course she sat in one of the desks. The rest of the kids compared grades. Harry, Colin, and Parvati all had B averages. Ron had low B's and Gale, the youngest of all of them, had mid-A's. So she sat in the other desk.  
  
The others felt their mouths being gagged with an invisible gag, so they couldn't talk. The tests fell on the desks. Hermione was done in five minutes, Gale in twelve. The rest of them felt the gags disappear, and they gathered around the two girls. Their grades appeared on the papers. Hermione got 9/10 (Oh, man! she yelled) and Gale got 8/10, missing three points total. Hermione and Gale were gone and the next door opened. Now down to Harry, Ron, Parvati, and Colin, they were getting skeptical. The first three tests were easy, and they had two to go.   
  
They went into the next room and there was a riddle on a paper. It said 'There are two ways to defeat me. Although I am very un-vain, I love blood. So kill me if you can, the most obvious way is to take away my blood.' A very large spider came in the room. They had to take away it's blood? Ron backed up. Seeing he was scared, the spider went after him. He ate Ron in one gulp. "Don't worry, he's not dead, he was just transported back to my master," the spider said.  
  
Meanwhile, Harry was reading the riddle. "Colin! It says vain as in he likes himself, not as arteries! Take his picture and show it to him!" he yelled suddenly. Colin did so, since he had his Polaroid ® camera, in result, defeating the spider. Colin disappeared, now only Harry and Parvati remaining.  
  
They went into the next room, where the most horrible task awaited for them.  
  
  
A/N: I think this is getting better. Tell me what you think (by reviewing) and Chapter 7 will be up soon. Thx.  



	7. Back at Hogwarts

A/N: LAST CHAPTER! So what is the most horrible task yet? Find out…  
  
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.  
  
  
Parvati screamed. "Oh, Harry, what is it?" She grabbed Harry's arm and tried to hide behind him.  
  
"I…I don't know," he admitted and he and Parvati backed up until they were against the wall.  
  
Answering them, the thing said, "I am your deepest fears, the thing that you are afraid of so much that you just want to die thinking about it. If I remove my hood, you will see that fear---and you might die."  
  
"But you…you don't look like a boggart," Harry said, seeing that it was neither a dementor (Harry's fear) nor a mummy (Parvati's fear).  
  
"That is because I am not a boggart. I am much worse. I am a boggartopolis; I am your deepest fear, one that haunts you to this day. The fear can be dangerous," the boggartopolis said. "Who is going to face me?"  
  
With what must have been pure courageousness, Parvati said, "I will!"   
  
"Parvati, are you sure, I mean…" Harry let his sentence trail off. She looked determined, she had her fists clenched and her lips were tightly pursed together.  
  
"I suggest you turn around, boy," the boggartopolis growled. Harry did so, without a word. "Are you ready, miss?" he heard it say to Parvati. Her answer was affirmative. Harry heard a lot of screaming and yelling. He dared to turn around. He saw visions-like misty pictures- of a person being killed by a guillotine.   
  
"Think happy thoughts, Parvati!" Harry screamed. "Really, really happy ones!" He saw her close her eyes tight and the visions started to diminish until they were gone-he figured this might work because happy thoughts got rid of dementors, and funny ones got rid of boggarts. He completely turned around and saw the final door open: there were no more tests: they had won. Harry went out the door and as he passed through, everything went black.  
  
***  
  
When Harry opened his eyes, he was in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. He was lying on the floor, and above him was the starry ceiling. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and did not see anyone at all. "That scoundrel," Harry thought. "He lied, he didn't keep his end of the deal."  
  
Harry didn't know what to do. It was very quiet. He looked at his watch. It would be dinnertime right now. The Great Hall would be full of loud laughter and excitement. He'd be very happy to see on person, even Malfoy. He stood up and was about to go to sit at the Gryffindor table when he saw something shiny by his foot. It was the medallion! The man didn't lie! Harry took the pendant and tried to think of the spell. "Returnus Oblivius," he said. Everyone was back!  
  
Everyone was hugging him and laughing, happy to be back. After about ten minutes of the commotion, Dumbledore said, "Hush now, students, I'm sure you are all excited, but it is around dinner time, so I'd like to have everyone seated at their tables. This is very good news, for all of us. I'm sure the dinner is ready to be served, so-" he clapped his hands and the tables were filled with food. "-let's eat!" he finished.  
  
***  
  
It was a week after the big ordeal. Everyone was excited (except Hermione): all the final exams were canceled. The next day would be the trip back home for the Hogwarts students. It was the end of the year feast.  
  
Dumbledore stood up when everyone was done eating. "It is time to announce the winner of the house cup for this year. But don't get excited yet children, we must again, like four years ago, take recent events into account. The points as of now are: in forth place, Hufflepuff, with 406 points, in third, Gryffindor with 429 points, in second, Slytherin, with 511 points, and in first, Ravenclaw, with 536 points." (Yes, Ravenclaw is in first…) "Now, let's take the recent events. First, to Mr. Draco Malfoy, of Slytherin, I award 20 points for wits in the face of giants. Next, to Miss Hermione Granger, of Gryffindor, and Miss Gale McEddels, of Ravenclaw, each 30 points for outstanding jobs in test-taking skills. Third, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, 10 points for trying to do well in the face of danger. Forth, to Mr. Colin Creevey, of Gryffindor, I award 20 points for good use of a camera, in the face of danger. And to Miss Parvati Patil, of Gryffindor, 40 points, for strong emotional endurance. And of course, to Mr. Harry Potter."   
  
If you would have dropped a pin in the room, you could have heard it echo, it was that quiet. Gryffindor was only below Slytherin by one point and behind Ravenclaw by thirty-seven points. "I have been affirmed that he helped Mr. Malfoy find the Snitch, helped Mr. Creevey defeat the spider, and helped Miss Patil defeat the boggartopolis. In helping his friends, when they needed it most. I award him 10 house points for each of these helpings."  
  
  
Ravenclaw had won with 566 points, Gryffindor was second with 559, Slytherin was third with 521, and Hufflepuff was forth with 406 points. So Ravenclaw had won, but everyone clapped and cheered, with a little bit of applause from the Slytherin table. The banners and decorations were blue and bronze. The party began!  
  
***  
  
The next day, they were on the trip to their homes. Then Harry remembered something, as he was getting off the train. Hermione. She had kissed him last year, after getting off the train, and she had invited him over that summer. Did…did she have feelings for him? He stopped, by the wall before going through the barrier to the Muggle world. "Harry, is something wrong?" Hermione asked him.  
  
"Hermione," he said. He put his hands up to her face and pulled it closer to his. Then he kissed her. "Hermione, I love you," he said  
  
"I love you too, Harry," she replied. Ron stood back in awe. Harry and Hermione? He smiled. Well, he was happy for Harry.  
  
  
A/N: This is the end. I hope this last part wasn't too mushy. And I know that it is not believable that Ravenclaw would beat Gryffindor and Slytherin… I am going to write a sequel, taking place in the trio's sixth year, so look for a story called The Game. Please review, and thx!  



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